Deputies

The announcement of more Obama administration nominees grinds forward, and two of the picks announced yesterday have some resonance for those of us in the federal management community. Dr. Ashton Carter is Obama's pick to be Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics at the Defense Department, and Seth Harris is set to become Deputy Secretary at the Labor Department. I've put their full biographies below the jump, but one thing in each man's resume stood out to me.

First, Carter is a former manager of Cooperative Threat Reduction, the bipartisan program designed by Sam Nunn and Richard Lugar to secure fissile materials in the Former Soviet Union. CTR was a hugely complicated and important effort, and it points to a commitment to internationalism by the Obama administration. While buying up loose nukes and uranium may not exactly be the same thing as ordering new helicopters or computers, it's acquisition none the less, done with very, very high stakes.

Second, Harris is a committed advocate for people with disabilities and workplace flexibilities. Long-time readers may know that both are issues I've covered extensively and am very interested in. Harris is an expert in other facets of labor law, too, but getting the Labor Department up to speed and ready to regulate a workplace that's changed dramatically to accommodate flexible schedules and people with disabilities is going to be a major issue.